The present invention relates to methods for the detection and quantification of apolipoproteins and isoforms thereof in a sample, as well as to predictive methods of the probability of neurodegenerative or cardiovascular disease development based on apolipoprotein levels as determined by the detection methods of the invention.

Provided herein are methods and compositions for inducing a somatic cell to acquire a less differentiated phenotype and for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (i PS cells) by inducing expression of ASF1A in the cell and/or by contacting the cell with GDF9. Also provided herein are compositions and methods for treating and/or diagnosing cancer and for identifying agents useful in the treatment and/or diagnosis of cancer.

The present invention provides a nanoparticulate system or composition which comprises nanoparticles comprising a core of a sorbitan ester, a surface layer of a cationic substance and a gene construct consisting of plasmid DNA, wherein the gene construct is physically bound to the cationic substance, for use in a method of treatment by gene therapy, in particular for medical applications by using gene therapy in the ophthalmic sector.

Provided herein are methods and compositions for inducing a somatic cell to acquire a less differentiated phenotype and for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (i PS cells) by inducing expression of ASF1A in the cell and/or by contacting the cell with GDF9. Also provided herein are compositions and methods for treating and/or diagnosing cancer and for identifying agents useful in the treatment and/or diagnosis of cancer.

The ERA-NET NEURON Cofund will coordinate and align European and international research funding programmes in the area of brain-related diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Key activity is the implementation of an EC co-funded joint transnational call for research proposals. The mission of NEURON is based on the fact that disorders of the brain are the major cause for impaired quality of life, and they are a heavy burden not only for patients, their families and carers, but also a socioeconomic problem for society. By improving collaboration and by implementing a variety of additional activities (such as further joint transnational calls and support of early-career scientists) NEURON Cofund will decrease fragmentation of research programmes and improve the funding situation for neuroscience researchers thereby strengthening the search for novel therapeutic approaches to fight brain disease;
NEURON Cofund will also develop and provide concrete plans for (i) expanding data sharing, (ii) promoting common data elements for the establishment of patient registries, and (iii) involving stakeholders and relevant existing initiatives such as patient organizations. The aforementioned challenges will be addressed in a network of 22 funding organizations across 14 European Member and Associated States and Third countries.

The overarching goal of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) is to generate knowledge to inform the safe management of chemicals and so protect human health. We will use human biomonitoring to understand human exposure to chemicals and resulting health impacts and will communicate with policy makers to ensure that our results are exploited in the design of new chemicals policies and the evaluation of existing measures.
Key objectives include:
Harmonizing procedures for human biomonitoring across 26 countries, to provide policy makers with comparable data on human internal exposure to chemicals and mixtures of chemicals at EU level;
Linking data on internal exposure to chemicals to aggregate external exposure and identifying exposure pathways and upstream sources. Information on exposure pathways is critical to the design of targeted policy measures to reduce exposure;
Generating scientific evidence on the causal links between human exposure to chemicals and negative health outcomes; and
Adapting chemical risk assessment methodologies to use human biomonitoring data and account for the contribution of multiple external exposure pathways to the total chemical body burden.
We will achieve these objectives by harmonizing human biomonitoring initiatives in 26 countries, drawing on existing expertise and building new capacities. By establishing National Hubs in each country to coordinate activities, we will create a robust Human Biomonitoring Platform at European level.
This initiative contributes directly to the improvement of health and well-being for all age groups, by investigating how exposure to chemicals affects the health of different groups, such as children, pregnant women, foetuses and workers. We will also investigate how factor such as behavior, lifestyle and socio-economic status influence internal exposure to chemicals across the EU population. This knowledge will support policy action to reduce chemical exposure and protect health.

Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to medicine and healthcare. The field takes advantage of the physical, chemical and biological properties of materials at the nanometer scale to be used for a better understanding of the biological mechanisms of diseases at the molecular level, leading to new targets for earlier and more precise diagnostics and therapeutics. Nanomedicine, rated among the six most promising Key Enabling Technologies, is one of the most important emerging areas of health research expected to contribute to one of the strategic challenges that Europe has to face in the future: Provide effective and affordable health care and assure the wellbeing of an increasingly aged population.
EuroNanoMed III (ENM III) builds on the foundations of ENM I & II, which launched 7 successful joint calls for proposals since 2009, funded 51 transnational research projects involving 269 partners from 25 countries/regions, and allocated 45,5 million to research projects from ENM funding agencies. ENM III consortium, reinforced with 12 new partners from Europe, Canada and Taiwan, is committed to fostering the competiveness of European nanomedicine actors taking into account recent changes in the landscape and new stakeholders and challenges, as identified in the SRIA in nanomedicine. The first joint call for proposals will be co-funded by ENM III partners and the EC. After the co-funded call, three additional joint transnational calls will be organized and strategic activities will be accomplished in collaboration with key initiatives in the field. ENM III actions focus on translatability of project results to clinical and industry needs.

EXEDRA, an EXpansion of the European Joint Programming Initiative on Drug Resistance to Antimicrobials, will build on, and further support the structure and activities of JPIAMR to address the two major objectives of HCO-04-2016 topic: extending JPIAMR globally and creating a long-term sustainable structure for future expansion and governance which will coordinate national funding and collaborative actions supporting the implementation of the JPIAMR Strategic Research Agenda (SRA).
JPIAMR EXEDRA will be the second Coordinated Support Action (CSA) for this Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) and essentially build on the work of the first CSA (JPIAMR), which ended February 2016. It will provide a strong support structure for the JPIAMR during the forthcoming implementation and expansion phaseby maintaining a continuity between the objectives, tasks and Work Packages of EXEDRA and JPIAMR. Support facilitated by the CSA EXEDRA will ensure that the ethos of joint programming in the area antimicrobial drug resistance becoming embedded within JPIAMR members research and innovation policies and programmes.
EXEDRA will have the following work packages:
WP1 Management and coordination;
WP2 Strategy, governance, and long term sustainability;
WP3 Internationalisation and capacity extension;
WP4 Alignment with policy and industry;
WP5 Research alignment;
WP6 Communication, dissemination, and advocacy.
EXEDRA will significantly contribute to the delivery of the JPIAMR SRA combined with the JPI-EC-AMR effort and the experience of the JPIAMR members. EXEDRA (and the JPIAMR) will support transnational cooperation to to pool substantial and long-term research funding and serve to complement other initiatives in the AMR area. It will create momentum with the potential to move the frontiers forward and offer new opportunities for industry, new tools for society, and new evidence-based data for policy makers, which will inspire other necessary initiatives.

ERA-HDHL is a proposal of ERA-NET Cofund in the field of nutrition and health to support the Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life (JPI HDHL).
Nowadays, there is a high burden of non-communicable diseases due to unhealthy diet and lifestyle patterns. The 24 members of the JPI HDHL are working together to develop means to (1) motivate people to adopt healthier lifestyles including dietary choices and physical activity, (2) develop and produce healthy, high-quality, safe and sustainable foods and (3) prevent diet-related diseases. Between 2012 and 2015, JPI HDHL had implemented 7 JFAs with 40 M funds from national funding. The JPI HDHL is now set for further enhancement in tight coordination with the EC through the ERA-NET Cofund instrument. ERA-HDHL will provide a robust platform for implementing joint funding actions (JFAs) that address the needs identified in the JPI HDHL strategic research agenda and strengthen the research funding activities of JPI HDHL. An EC cofunded call on the identification and validation of biomarkers in nutrition and health will be implemented. For this foreseen action, the member countries of the JPI HDHL have doubled their financial commitment comparing to previous JFA implemented on a similar topic. Moreover, ERA-HDHL will launch at least 3 additional JFAs in line to fulfil the JPI HDHL objectives.